Apr 12, 2014 psalm 98 bay psalm book, 1640, by thomas ravenscroft ca. As a locus of negotia tion between the new england leaders, the colonists they were overseeing, and the authorities and colleagues they had left behind in england, the bay psalm book offers valuable insight into how colonial divines shaped. Jan 29, 2017 the whole booke of psalmes faithfully translated in to english metre 1640 also known as the bay psalm book was the first book length publication in the north american colonies. The whole booke of psalmes faithfully translated in to english metre 1640 also known as the bay psalm book was the first booklength publication in. The first book printed in british north america, 1640. The book is a metrical psalter, first printed in 1640 in cambridge, massachusetts. The new paraphrase was so influential that it was first reprinted in 1647 in england. Those settings are recommended for use in the bay psalm book, so that is what i have done for psalm 98. The bay psalm book is a religious and cultural manifesto of the puritan fathers and a towering icon of the founding of the united states. Census of copies of the bay psalm book, with provenance, sale. The first book written and printed in the new world, the bay psalm book holds a unique place in our cultural and religious history. The 1640 cambridge, massachusetts, whole booke of psalmes, or bay psalm book. Q2r from the bay psalm book remaining at the old south church, showing the unique reading in psalm 69, verse 23 see page 39.
Psalm 23 and the bay psalm book the music that shaped. The bay psalm books publication in 1640 came at a time when few could read and write words, never mind musical notation, and there were few copies of the book created to share in churches. Heath anthology of american literaturethe bay psalm book. These two copies of the text are together for the first time since they were separated long ago. According to the library of congress, the hymnal is. Bostons old south church voted 274 to sell one of its two remaining copies of the 1640 bay psalm bookone of the most historic volumes in. The bay psalm book, printed just twenty years after the pilgrims arrival. Psalm 23 is the 23rd psalm of the book of psalms, generally known in english by its first verse, in the king james version, the lord is my shepherd. The bay psalm book was the first book printed in british north america. Music of the southwest various artists the first half of this collection, sung by the margaret dodds singers, is of music taken from the first book ever printed in what became the united states of america the bay psalm book. The digital bay psalm book gives scholars, researchers, and enthusiasts alike a rich and intimate experience of the book. Jun 11, 2018 what is the bay psalm book but did you know that the bay psalm book was first printed in the colonies in 1640 and in reissues remained in use for over 100 years. Bostons old south church voted 274 to sell one of its two remaining copies of the 1640 bay.
Originally, the colonys residents looked to a committee of thirty men led by john eliot, thomas welde, and richard mather to translate all 150 psalms from hebrew into english. The bay psalm book the first book printed in america. Richard mather and a group of his fellow new england clergy transcribed biblical psalms into metered verse. Chapter 2 examines a selection of these, ranging from the plain style of george wither, whose bid to supplant sternhold and hopkins ran afoul of the stationers monopoly, and the even more prosaic bay psalm book 1640, whose principal concern was wordforword faithfulness to the hebrew text, to the more literary work of george sandys, who wrote for private devotion rather than. Preface to the bay psalm book 1640 songs of the puritans. Zoltan haraszti, the enigma of the bay psalm book chicago. This book, with which the pilgrims literally sang their praises to god, presents a translation of the psalms from hebrew, transposed into metrical rhyme for congregational singing. Readers may assume that both of these texts are simply functional transmissions of doctrine and discipline, representing a narrow and dogmatic religious culture of merely antiquarian interest. The bay psalm book was published in 1640, more than a century and a half after the first gutenberg bibles and 20 years after the pilgrims had landed at. The library of congress copy of the bay psalm book and david m.
The first book printed in british north america, 1640 haraszti, zoltan on. The bay psalm book had been compiled by a group of new england divines and was employed in nearly every puritan church of the massachusetts. The whole booke of psalmes faithfully translated into. Nov 25, 20 translated directly from hebrew into english, the bay psalm book was printed in cambridge, massachusetts, in 1640, less than twenty years after the mayflower left plymouth, england. The decision to print a book of psalms metered for singing may seem an odd choice as the first book to be printed by the settlers of massachusetts bay, but this modest book served the larger purpose of the colonyto live within the reformed church.
Book published in 1640 sets a record at auction the new. The first book printed in british north america, 1640 table of contents the enigma of the bay psalm book, by zoltan haraszti the bay psalm book. Preface to the 1640 bay psalm book reformed theology at. Today, only eleven copies are still in existence and fetch as much as fourteen million dollars at auction, making it also the most expensive book in the world.
Bay psalm book, the article about bay psalm book, the by. Not only is the text in the public domain, the book can be viewed in pdf form. The bay psalm book was published in 1640, more than a century and a half after the first gutenberg bibles and 20 years after the pilgrims had landed at plymouth. The bay psalm book was the first book to be printed in north america, twenty years after the arrival of the pilgrims in massachusetts. A facsimile reprint of the first edition of 1640 the facsimile notes on the reproduction. Nov 25, 20 the first book printed in what later became the united states of america is expected to set a world record at auction on tuesday. Various artists the first half of this collection, sung by the margaret dodds singers, is of music taken from the first book ever printed in what became the united states of americathe bay psalm book. Printing the bay psalm book in 1640 required importing the tools and materials of printing to the new colony. The bay psalm book, formally titled the whole book of psalmes faithfully translated into english metre 1640, was the first book printed on angloamerican soil. The bay psalm book, as this work is commonly known, is the first book printed in british north america. The bay psalm book was the common hymnal of the massachusetts bay colony.
The bay psalm book being a facsimile reprint of the first edition, printed by stephen daye at cambridge, in new england in 1640. Haraszti does not acknowledge richard appels studies of the book under discussion here, curiously, since the two were then working. Apparently the writers of the scottish psalter of 1650 knew the bay psalm book. In 1640, within ten years of their arrival in america, the puritans of massachusetts bay produced their first book and printed it. Being a facsimile reprint of the first edition, printed by stephen daye at cambridge, in new england in 1640. As such, puritans developed the practice of lining out the psalmhaving a deacon or clerk read each line of text before it was sung. The whole booke of psalmes faithfully translated into english. Dec 01, 2003 the first book written and printed in the new world, the bay psalm book holds a unique place in our cultural and religious history. When one considers the difficulties of mere existence during this time, a mere 20 years after the first arrivals in plymouth in 1620, the magnitude of the.
It was prepared by puritan leaders of the massachusetts bay colony. Jun 15, 2007 the bay psalm book was the common hymnal of the massachusetts bay colony. Preface to the 1640 bay psalm book the singing of psalms, though it breath forth nothing but holy harmony, and melody. The translations are not particularly polished, and not one has remained in use, although some of the tunes to which they were sung. The translations are not particularly polished, and not one has remained in use, although some of the tunes to which they were sung have survived. A london printer, stephen daye, came with the press and established a printing office in cambridge. The first book printed in what later became the united states of america is expected to set a world record at auction on tuesday. The bay psalm bookcambridge, 1640 mission music in california. An american icon, a piece of heroic history it was both the first book printed in the colonies and it was also the first book entirely written in the colonies.
Q2r from the bay psalm book remaining at the old south church. The book of psalms is the third section of the hebrew bible, and a book of the christian old testament. It was both the first book printed in the colonies and it was also the first book entirely written in the colonies. The reverend jesse glover imported the first printing press to the massachusetts bay colony in 1638, some 18 years after the first english settlers landed at plymouth rock. The music printing in mexico soon died out, however. A census and account of copies is given in wilberforce eames introduction to the bay psalm book. The psalms in it are metrical translations into english.
The founders of the massachusetts bay colony came to the new world seeking religious freedom, and their first publication was a hymnal. Jean ferguson carr classroom issues and strategies. Bay psalm book article about bay psalm book by the free. Bay psalm book, 1640, perhaps the oldest book now in existence that was published in british north america. Census of copies of the bay psalm book, with provenance. University of chicago press, 1956 is among the major studies. The first edition of the bay psalm book was printed in cambridge in 1640. The reverend jose glover put this into action when he resigned his post in surrey, england, and set sail for the massachusetts bay colony in 1638 with his family, possessions, and a printing press operation, replete with paper and slightly worn type. Preface to the 1640 bay psalm book reformed theology at a. Music had been printed in the new world as early as the 1540s in mexican service books, nearly a century before even the first bay psalm book of 1640.
The puritan divines of the massachusetts bay colony set out to produce a translation from the hebrew that was reflective. Dec 03, 2012 the bay psalm books publication in 1640 came at a time when few could read and write words, never mind musical notation, and there were few copies of the book created to share in churches. It was the first book printed in english in the americas and is considered one of the most historic volumes in american religious history. Americas hesitation over hymns christian history magazine. Dec 11, 2012 what you need to know about the bay psalm book. The bay psalm book 1640 and the new england primer 1683. What you need to know about the bay psalm book christianity. The two psalters most widely used were the bay psalm book 1640 and sternhold and hopkinss whole book of psalms the old version, 1562. Thats a wrap the bay psalm book, the first book ever printed in british america, and the first book ever written in america. To the chief musician, a psalm of david 1 the heavens do declare the majesty of god. The bay psalm book is a very important piece of history. Published 1903 by prepared for the new england society in the city of new york in new york.
Nov 27, 20 its a translation of the old testament book of psalms, valuable for its rarity and because it was printed in 1640, the first englishlanguage book printed in america. Please note that there are no folios in the bay psalm book facsimile. Together, they served to disseminate puritan values for over a hundred years. The bay psalm book is valued not only as an object of extreme. Digital bay psalm book university of alabama press. Psalm 23 bay psalm book scriptures good books free. Supervised by richard mather, thomas weld and john eliot. In recent years, a new generation of scholars has returned to the book, seeing it from fresh perspectivesas a social document, for example, and as a physical artifact of early american life in the massachusetts bay area. What is the bay psalm book but did you know that the bay psalm book was first printed in the colonies in 1640 and in reissues remained in use for over 100 years. Nov 27, 20 the bay psalm book was published in 1640, more than a century and a half after the first gutenberg bibles and 20 years after the pilgrims had landed at plymouth. The bay psalm book and the new england primer were, next to the bible, the most commonly owned books in seventeenthcentury new england. In spite of the sometimes crude poetry, the bay psalm book achieved considerable recognition in its time, a recognition that went well outside of new england, and even the colonies.
Rubensteins copy, on loan to the library for this exhibition, were at originally part of the historic old south church library in boston. Copies reached both england and scotland and saw some use there. Psalm 98 bay psalm book, 1640, by thomas ravenscroft ca. A2r from the bay psalm book remaining at the old south church, showing thomas princes annotations of variant readings from the 1647 reprint edition. The bay psalm book 1640 the new england primer 1683. Printed in cambridge, massachusetts, on a press set up by stephen day, it included a dissertation on the lawfulness and.
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